Alex Miceli reports onPhil Mickelson's pre-HSBC Champions press conference where talk centered around Ryder Cup heartbreak, and learning from playing partner Keegan Bradley just how much better you can be from the fairway.

Without seeing the video, I'm guessing this was said somewhat tongue-in-cheeking knowing Phil's dry wit:

“I saw some things where I can improve my game, and I have this new kind of excitement and energy that Keegan has, and it's rubbed off on me and I am excited to play and work and practice,” Mickelson said. “I saw an opportunity to where if I could drive the ball the way Keegan did, I would really have some opportunities and chances to do something special in my career and have some of my best finishes.”

Bradley understood Mickelson's perspective.

“In the alternate-shot format, I was putting Phil in some great spots, and Phil with a wedge or any sort of iron from the fairway is deadly,” Bradley said. “If he's got a wedge and it's outside 5 feet, I'm shocked. So I think he's going to try to focus in on getting the ball in the fairway more and in play, because he's the absolute best iron player I've ever seen.”

For a supposedly intelligent guy, good 'ole Phil sure does act like a moron sometimes.

Yeah, yeah, I know he was kidding somewhat but...don't you recall about 5 or 6 years ago he declared at the beginning of the season that he was dialing it back with the driver in order to hit more fairways?

Well, he then had a stellar year and at one point was seen quipping, with a big beaming face, "Golf is so much easier from the fairway. Who knew? I wish somebody had clued me in earlier."

Fast forward to the start of the following season and Philly declared "I've been sacrificing too much distance off the tee so this year I'm throttling it back up" (I'm paraphrasing here).

At that point I wanted to grab the guy by the lapels and give him a good shake and yell at him "But Phil, you've just had the best season of your life while throttling back. Are you insane?" Sure enough, he reverted back to the usual erratic Phil, brilliant at times but finding places on golf courses even the grounds crew didn't know were there at other times.

Now here we are, years later, and Phil is only JUST discovering that golf is easier from the fairway? What a loon!